Image information encoding/decoding system

• US 6,016,363 A
• Filed: 07/20/1998
• Issued: 01/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Mimura, Hideki, Kikuchi, Shinichi, Taira, Kazuhiko, Kitamura, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Application Number:
  US09/118,851
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/233, 382/236, 382/238, 382/239, 382/240, 382/245, 382/246, 382/247, 382/248, 348/420, 348/421, 358/261.1, 358/432, 358/433
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/46 Conversion to or from run-length codes, i.e. by representing the number of consecutive digits, or groups of digits, of the same kind by a code word and a digit indicative of that kind
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/93 Run-length coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A bit train of a plurality of continuous pixels is compressed according to a new run-length compression scheme. In this run-length compression scheme, the run information of one unit of compression includes run-length information indicating the continuous number of the same pixel data blocks, or the number of pixels followed, and pixel data having a two-bit configuration for discriminating three or more colors of the pixels.

Claims

1. A system constituted by a combination of encoding processing and decoding processing,

wherein an integral body of information is formed of a plurality of pixel data each defined by a plurality of bits, a data block containing same continuous pixel data is compressed as one unit of compression, the encoding processing comprising:

first encoding for specifying the data block of the one compression unit in the integral body of information;

second encoding for generating a compressed unit data block based on a coding header, a number of pixels followed, and pixel data, wherein no bits are assigned to the coding header when a number of the same continuous pixel data is equal to or less than a first predetermined number, and at least two bits but less than a prescribed number of bits are assigned to the coding header when the number of the same continuous pixel data is greater than the first predetermined number but less than a second predetermined number, wherein the number of pixels followed indicates the number of the same continuous pixel data, and wherein the pixel data indicates the same pixel data in the data block of the one compression unit;

third encoding for constituting the coding header by a specific number of bits which indicates that the same pixel data continues up to an end of a finite length data line on which the integral body of information is arranged;

fourth encoding for adding dummy bit data to the data block of the one compression unit so that a total bit length of at least one data block of the one compression unit becomes a multiple of eight bits, if the total bit length is not a multiple of eight when generation of the data block of the one compression unit on the data line is completed,

and wherein a bit train compressed in unit of the data block of the same continuous pixel data in the integral body of information is expanded, the decoding processing comprising;

first decoding for detecting the coding header from the data block of the one compression unit in the integral body of information;

second decoding for immediately fetching a predetermined number of bits as the number data of the pixels followed, when no bits are assigned to the coding header detected by the first decoding;

third decoding for detecting, from the data block of the one compression unit, the number data of the pixels followed in accordance with a content of the coding header, when prescribed bits are assigned to the coding header detected by the first decoding;

fourth decoding for determining a content of the pixel data in an uncompressed data block of the one compression unit in accordance with a remainder of the data block of the one compression unit, from which removed are the coding header detected by the first decoding step and the number data of the pixels followed detected by either the second decoding step or the third decoding;

fifth decoding for arranging bit data of the content determined by the fourth decoding, by a number indicated by the number data of the pixels followed detected by either the second decoding or the third decoding, so as to restore a pattern of uncompressed pixel data of the one compression unit; and

sixth decoding for arranging, up to the end of the data line, a content of bits subsequent to the coding header, when the integral body of information is arranged on the data line of a finite bit length, and when the coding header includes a specific number of bits indicating that the same pixel data continues up to an end of the data line, wherein

said integral body of information includes a specific header comprising information of a size of said integral body of information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said integral body of information is represented by contents of a group of data packets, each of the data packets including sub-picture data relating to said pixel data and a packet header thereof.

3. A apparatus of decoding a bit train of a unit of a compressed data block, which is obtained by compressing same continuous pixel data as one unit of compression, wherein the compressed data block corresponds to at least part of an integral body of information formed by a plurality of pixel data each defined by a predetermined number of bits, the decoding apparatus comprising:

a first means for detecting a coding header from the data block of the one compression unit contained in the integral body of information;

a second means for immediately fetching a predetermined number of bits as number data of the pixels followed, when no bits are assigned to the coding header detected by the first means;

a third means for detecting, from the data block of the one compression unit, the number data of the pixels followed in accordance with a content of the coding header, when prescribed bits are assigned to the coding header detected by the first means;

a fourth means for determining a content of the pixel data in an uncompressed data block of the one compression unit, in accordance with a remainder of the data block of the one compression unit, from which removed are the coding header detected by the first means and the number data of the pixels followed detected by either the second means or the third means;

a fifth means for arranging bit data of the content determined by the fourth means, by a number indicated by the number data of the pixels followed detected by either the second means or the third means, so as to restore a pattern of uncompressed pixel data of the one compression unit; and

a sixth means for arranging, up to the end of the data line, a content of bits subsequent to the coding header, when the integral body of information is arranged on a data line of a finite bit length, and when the coding header includes a specific number of bits indicating that the same pixel data continues up to an end of the data line, wherein

said integral body of information includes a specific header comprising information of a size of said integral body of information.